Ambiguous Witness Statement in an FIR
A shopkeeper witnesses a scuffle near a bus stand. In his statement he says: 'I saw the man run towards the bus stand after he pushed the boy, and he was carrying a blue bag. The boy fell near the tea stall. I did not see his face clearly.' The investigating officer asks you to prepare a one-paragraph summary for the FIR file. You notice that 'he' in the second clause could refer to the man or the boy, that 'the man' has no description, and that 'his face' could mean either person's face. The witness is still at the station and is willing to clarify. The FIR must be filed today, but a wrong pronoun could misdirect the search.
1. Identify the three ambiguities and rank them by how much each could misdirect the investigation.
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First, 'the man' has no description, so the statement cannot generate a suspect description. Second, 'he was carrying a blue bag' can mean the man or the boy, which affects what evidence is linked to the runner. Third, 'his face' can mean the man's face or the boy's face, which affects whether the witness can identify the attacker or only the victim. I rank the missing description first because without it the search cannot be narrowed at all. The bag pronoun ranks second because it is a recoverable object and may be found on or near a person. The face pronoun ranks third because it limits identification but does not create a new direction by itself.
2. Rewrite the statement as two precise sentences using placeholders such as 'the man (description pending)' and 'the boy'. Do not add facts.
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Witness states that he saw the man (description pending) push the boy, that the boy fell near the tea stall, and that the man then ran towards the bus stand. The witness further states that a blue bag was being carried, but he has not clarified whether the man or the boy was carrying it, and that he did not see the face clearly. This version preserves the original gaps instead of resolving them by guesswork.
3. What question should you ask first, and how should the clarified version be recorded alongside the original?
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Ask first: 'Who was carrying the blue bag - the man or the boy?' It is a closed question, the witness is present, and the answer immediately removes the most damaging pronoun ambiguity. Then record the original words verbatim, followed by a separate clarification note with time, date, and the witness's signature or thumb impression. Do not overwrite the original statement: the FIR should show what was first said and what was later clarified. If the witness is unsure, record 'does not know' rather than choosing a referent.